(Jackson County, IN) – A man in Jackson County was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the 1982 killing of a Seymour man.
The victim, Clifford Smith, was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head near the White River.
Over the years, the cold case was passed to new investigators.
Sgt. Kip Main with the Indiana State Police Versailles Post took up the investigation in September 2015, with assistance from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Seymour Police Department.
After years of investigation, Ronald J. Anderson was arrested and pled guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter, with the Murder charge dismissed.
The sentencing brought some closure to the victim’s family after over 40 years of waiting for justice.
“I want to commend the Indiana State Police investigators for their dedication to this case over the last 40-plus years in an effort to bring justice and some sort of closure to Clifford Smith’s family,” said Jackson County Deputy Prosecutor Mark Hollingsworth. “We are pleased that in this case, justice delayed was not justice denied.”
